Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark

Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark (; 27 August 1968), later Duchess of Kent, was a Greek and Danish princess by birth and a British princess by marriage. A granddaughter of King George I of Greece and Queen Olga, she was the daughter of Prince Nicholas of Greece and Denmark and Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna of Russia. In 1934, she married Prince George, Duke of Kent, the fourth son of King George V and Queen Mary. They had three children: Edward, Alexandra, and Michael. She was widowed in 1942, when her husband was killed in a plane crash while on active service, and remained active in royal duties throughout her later life, attending public engagements across the Commonwealth, including the independence celebrations for Ghana and Botswana. She died in 1968, aged 61.

Early life

Marina was born on 13 December 1906 in Athens, Greece, during the reign of her paternal grandfather, George I of Greece. Her father was the third son of George I of Greece and Queen Olga, One of their paternal uncles was Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark, father of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, making Marina and her sisters Philip's first cousins.

Marina spent her early years in Greece and lived with her parents and paternal grandparents at Tatoi Palace. She and her sisters were raised to be devout and religious, a quality encouraged by their grandmother, Queen Olga of Greece. The family travelled outside Greece frequently, especially during the summer months. Marina's first recorded visit to Britain was in 1910, when she was three, following the death of her godfather, Edward VII. During that visit she met her godmother and future mother-in-law, Queen Mary, who treated Marina and her sisters as if they were her own children.

The Greek royal family was forced into exile when Marina was 11, following the overthrow of the monarchy. Their betrothal was announced in August 1934, and George was created Duke of Kent on 9 October. They married at Westminster Abbey on 29 November. It was the first major royal wedding since that of Prince Albert, Duke of York (later George VI), and Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (later Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother) 11 years earlier. The ceremony was the first royal wedding to be broadcast by wireless, using microphones connected to a control room located beneath the Unknown Warrior's tomb. The service was transmitted both within Britain and overseas, and loudspeakers allowed spectators outside the Abbey to hear the proceedings. A Greek Orthodox ceremony followed in the private chapel at Buckingham Palace, which was temporarily converted for the occasion. George also inherited Coppins from Princess Victoria. Marina became patroness of several organisations and charities, including the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Hospital, the Women's Hospital Fund, and the Central School of Speech and Drama, causes she continued to support throughout her life. She developed a close relationship with her mother-in-law with whom she often spent time while George was undertaking royal duties.

The couple had three children:

Prince Edward, Duke of Kent (born 9 October 1935), who married Katharine Worsley on 8 June 1961; they had three children. Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy (born 25 December 1936), who married the Hon. Angus Ogilvy, son of David Ogilvy, 12th Earl of Airlie, and Lady Alexandra Coke, on 24 April 1963; they had two children. Prince Michael of Kent (born 4 July 1942), who married Baroness Marie Christine von Reibnitz on 30 June 1978; they have two children.

George was killed on 25 August 1942 in an air crash at Eagle's Rock, near Dunbeath, Caithness, Scotland, while on active service with the Royal Air Force. According to royal biographer Hugo Vickers, Marina was "the only war widow in Britain whose estate was forced to pay death duties".

During the Second World War, Marina trained as a nurse for three months under the pseudonym "Sister Kay" and joined the Civil Nursing Reserve. She served as president of the Wimbledon All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club for 26 years,

In 1947, Marina visited Greece and Italy. In June 1952, she laid the foundation stone of the new St Mark's Church in Bromley, London, which had been damaged in the war.

Later in 1952, Marina visited Sarawak (then a British Crown Colony), where she laid the foundation stone of the St. Thomas's Cathedral in Kuching. She also visited the Batu Lintang camp, a former Japanese internment camp that had been converted into a teacher training college, and travelled to Sibu, where she opened the outpatient department of the Lau Kheng Howe Hospital.

In 1954, Marina was granted an Apartment at Kensington Palace as a permanent grace-and-favour residence. During her early widowhood she had often stayed with her mother-in-law at Marlborough House; however Mary's death in 1953 created a need for Marina to have her own London residence. The Apartment had stood vacant for nearly 15 years, having previously been the home of Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll, prior to her death in 1939. As the apartment was considered too large for Marina's needs, its eastern half was divided to create Apartment 1A. The works were budgeted at £80,000 but ultimately cost £127,000. During the renovations, Marina reportedly considered removing an original Wren staircase inside Apartment 1, finding it "too much like a servant's staircase" and too narrow for descending in full evening dress; palace officials intervened to prevent its removal. Marina and her three children took up residence in October 1955, and Apartment 1 remained her home until her death in 1968.

In March 1957, when the Gold Coast achieved independence from Britain as Ghana, Marina was appointed to represent the Queen at the celebrations. 50 years later, at the 50th anniversary of Ghana's independence, her son, Edward, was appointed by the Queen to represent her.

Marina earned a place in the International Best Dressed List Hall of Fame in 1960, together with the Princess of Monaco, Patricia Lopez-Willshaw, and Merle Oberon. In 1964, she undertook an extensive tour of Australia and officially opened Gladesville Bridge in Sydney.

In September and October 1966, when the British Protectorates of Bechuanaland and Basutoland became the Republic of Botswana and the Kingdom of Lesotho respectively, Marina was again appointed to represent the Queen at both independence celebrations. The main public hospital in Gaborone, the new capital of Botswana, is named Princess Marina Hospital. She served as Chancellor of the University of Kent at Canterbury from 1963 until her death.

Marina died at 11:40 am on 27 August 1968 at Kensington Palace from a brain tumour, aged 61. She was buried in the Royal Burial Ground, Frogmore. Her funeral was the last royal ceremony attended by her brother-in-law, the former king Edward VIII. Marina's will was sealed in London after her death. Her estate was valued at £76,166 (equivalent to £940,600 in 2022).

Legacy

Marina gave her name to a number of institutions and facilities, including: Princess Marina College, Arborfield, Berkshire Princess Marina House, a facility of the Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund at Rustington. Princess Marina Hospital, Upton, Northamptonshire Princess Marina Hospital, Gaborone, Botswana Princess Marina Sports Complex, Rickmansworth. Duchess of Kent Hospital, Sandakan, Sabah, Malaysia Institute of Teacher Education Kent Campus, Tuaran, Sabah, Malaysia

References in popular culture The Kinks recorded "She's Bought a Hat Like Princess Marina" for their 1969 album Arthur (or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire). The song was written by Ray Davies. After her marriage she was styled Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Kent, CI: Companion of the Order of the Crown of India, 1937 GBE: Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire, 1937 GCVO: Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order, 1948 Recipient of the King George VI Coronation Medal Recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal Royal Family Order of King George V Royal Family Order of King George VI Royal Family Order of Queen Elizabeth II

Dynastic House of Romanov: Dame Grand Cordon of the Imperial Order of Saint Catherine Kingdom of Greece: Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Family Order of Saints Olga and Sophia

Honorary military appointments

Canada Colonel-in-Chief, The Essex and Kent Scottish (1942 – 1968)

United Kingdom Colonel-in-Chief, of The Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment Colonel-in-Chief, of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers Honorary Colonel, of the Buckinghamshire Battalion, The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry Honorary Colonel, of the Buckinghamshire Regiment, RA (Territorials) Commandant, Women's Royal Naval Service (1940–1968) (Chief Commandant from 1951)

Arms

Ancestry